Your top 3 favorite Legacy Lenses

[f/otographer]

My favorite old legacy lens? Huh, that's a hard one. I shoot almost exclusively with old glass and have come to love many of them over the years. But if hard pressed to answer in a desert island kind of way....

 

The Yashica ML 50/1.7 (series II) would have to be my bet. This lens is simply a strong performer and the design is solid even today. There is even a rumor that this particular lens is actually the Zeiss Planar 50/1.7 in disguise. Supposedly the accountants at Yashica figured out it would just be cheaper to manufacture more Planar glass lenses (which they had to do anyway for the CY Zeiss 50/1.7) then it would be to make a different run of glass for the ML 50/1.7. So they (reportedly) just put the Zeiss innards into the ML body and used the ML coating instead of the T* that the Zeiss lenses received. To top this off the ML 50 has a metal body while its Planar cousin has a plastic body.

 

To be honest, it really doesn't matter either way. While the ML lenses will forever live in the shadow of their "fancier" Ziess cousins in CY mount they are in fact every bit as good as the Ziess lenses in almost every shooting situation. True, there are a few stand out performers in the CY Ziess lineup but for the most part the ML's are their equal. All of these lenses (with the exception of the German made Ziess versions) were manufactured in Japan by Tomioka. Tomioka lenses have some of the most wonderful bokeh in the world (at least to me) and the lenses that came out of the Yashica factories from this time period are some of the best ever made, be they ML or Ziess.

 

So here are some examples from a series II Yashica ML 50/1.7, shot on either an A7 or a NEX 7 with a Metabones CY Speedbooster. Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[f/otographer]

If I had to pick a second favorite lens......then it would be the Zeiss Jena Biotar 58/2. My copy is a 1959 aluminum bodies version. Produced in Soviet occupied Germany well after the war these old M42 lenses are capable as well as historical. Technically the bokeh of this particular lens is not very good and reffered to as Nisen bokeh. But as with any tool a photographer must play to the strengths and weaknesses of any given lens. I find that if used correctly this old Biotar can paint a background like no other lens can.

 

Here are some examples shot on anything from an A7, to a NEX 7 and even a A35 SLT. Hope you enjoy. (Oh, any macro shots were either done with a tube or a couple of old Minolta Close Up Lenses.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Golem]

....... Technically the bokeh of this particular lens

is not very good and reffered to as Nisen bokeh. .......

I find that if used correctly this old Biotar can paint

a background like no other lens can. .......

 

...........

I find your comments [selectively quoted] to be rather

amusing. I am NOT criticizing you, I fully AGREE with

you. But in using the accepted jargon and the accepted

standards of the current day "photography community",

you point out the ridiculousness of the "bokeh cult".

 

Hey I'm perficklee happy to sell an ancient portrait

lens with a 16 blade curved-blade iris that makes all

f/stops perficklee round ... and get a healthy price for

it cuz the buyer is a Priest-in-Good-Standing in the

Cult of Bokeh. And acoarst I observe the etiquette of

never laffing at a priest in his face :-)

 

The Cult declares that "Good Bokeh" is that airbrushed

looking cotton-candy fluff. OK, it's not my cult, thus it's

not for me to sit in with the Bokeh Committee when it

issues these standards. It's toadally up to the Cult to

determine their own beliefs.

 

 

`

[Golem]

FWIW .....

 

Re: the Bokeh Nazis and the "weird" bokeh in your pix.

 

My belief differs from the cult. Your pix, with their "bad"

bokeh, demonstrate that busy bokeh is not bad, but more

eye-catching than cult bokeh, and therefor requires you

to deal with it as a compositional element of sorts. IOW

"bad" bokeh isn't truly bad, it's simply a greater creative

challenge. Cotton candy bokeh has no creative potential ...

it's just a cop out, just a way of having fewer elements to

deal with. What the cult has declared to be GREAT bokeh,

I would refer to as LAZY bokeh. YOUR pix do not take the

lazy way out, so I can say "nice work" without demeaning

the word "work" !

 

Soooo ... Nice WORK !

[f/otographer]

Golem, I know what you mean about the bokeh cult. There are some people who focus on that aspect of a lens above all others. While I do shoot the majority of my photos wide open or close to it I do not prescribe to the pre conceived notion that bokeh must 'look' a certain way. You are right....lazy bokeh is a bad thing. I would much rather take a great photo with a crappy lens then to take a crappy photo with a great lens.

[Sixtyfour]

In any order:
 

Canon FD 35 f/2 S.S.C. (concave)

It's the best 35 I have. The new FD 35/2 comes close. If I really need to travel light, I'll take that.

 

Canon nFD 20 f/2.8

Amazing landscape lens. Stopped down to f/11 it's perfect! The FD 20 might be replaced by the Olympus OM 21/3.5. It is at least as sharp as the Canon. It's smaller, lighter and the front element doesn't rotate while focussing, which is good when using filters. 

I'll be doing a comparison in the next couple of days.

 

Olympus OM 50 f/1.4

I have too many 50's, but the OM 50 seems to render the nicest images. 

10x50 by Jeroen, on Flickr

 

 

[ViRuS X]

Trying to determine which lenses to buy first. What are your top 3 favorite to shoot on your Sony Alpha? And which camera(s) do you usually shoot them on?

I own many legacy lenses but I guess you can't find better than :

 

Minolta MC 58mm f/1.2

Pentax 50mm f/1.2

Konica UC Hexanon 28mm f/1.8

[seb]

I inherit some CY-Lenses and own some Minoltas. My favorites are:

Contax Planar 1.4/85

Contax Tessar 4/200

Tamron 3.5/17

[cadibob]

Bonjour,

Sur mon A7 II, j'utilise au quotidien les excellentes optiques OM Zuiko (24 f2.8, 28 f2.8, 50 f1.8, 135 f2.8).

Prix dérisoire, compacité (poids et volume), facilité d'utilisation (bouton-poussoir de profondeur de champ) et ... qualité.

Bonne journée. 

[alans220]

Sony A7. Got a fair selection, my favourites are

 

Tokina RMC 17

Canon Fd 50 1.4 SSC

Canon Fd 24 2.8

 

What I really enjoy is the input into the photograph using manual lenses, makes me feel like I have created it, rather than just point and shoot.

 

Regards

 

al

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/82425024@N06/

[Edwaste]

My top 3:

Olympus Zuiko 24mm f2.8

Olympus  Zuiko 35mm f2.8

Olympus Zuiko 100mm f2.8

 

For nearly 40 years I shot with these lenses. Shot the Punk rock movement in NYC during the 70's, Traveled cross country in the 80's, put them aside during the 90's and 00's when digital arrived. Now they're back and as good as ever.

 

[Reinhold_1]

My favourites are:

 

1. Minolta M-Rokkor 4,0/90 mm (outstanding bokeh!)

 

2. Minolta MD 3,5/50 mm Macro (light and sharp)

 

3.Minolta MD 2,0/45 mm (a lens, that is unfortunately completely underestimated)

[yoyo35]

24f2

180 sigma f2.8 macro

500f4 sony

 

With the a99

[JUS]

Nikon afd 135mm f2.0 defocus control

Contax Distagon t* 28mm f2.8

Nikon 300mm f4.5 ed ais

 

To enlarge, click on the image

 

[Cheatah]

My top three legacy lenses are: My over 25 year old tiny MEYER-Görlitz ORESTOR (Zebra) 2,8/100mm, my SOLIGOR 60-300mm Zoom, and my ELICAR V-HQ MC 2,5/90mm M.: 2:1 (!) Macro lens!

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[pysh.art]

Carl Zeiss Planar 50mm 1.4

Nikon 24mm 2.8

Helios 85mm 1.5 (New lens, but a reproduction of the original legacy glass)

[Nordentro]

There is way to many very nice lenses out there and the answers will be very different from person to person on this topic depending on what they own and what they prefer.

 

You would probably get much better answers if you can nail it down like:

 

What is your top three favorite compact 50mm legacy lenses?

Or, what is your top three cheap favorite legacy "hidden gems" lenses?

Or, what is your top three artistic bokeh legacy lenses...

++

[Golem]

These are not my "Absolute Finest" quality wise,

but no slackers. The question of this thread is

not "best", it's "favorite". This is the three lens kit

that stays packed and ready to head out the door

all the time:

 

Vivitar 24/2.0, Nikon 50/1.8 pancake, Nikon 100/

2.8 Series-E. [body is an A7M2].

 

-----------------------------------------------

 

 

The 24/2.0 is not quite as snappy as my various

Nikkor 24 and 28mm lenses, but very good. What

endears it to me is that is has almost no center

hot spot at wide apertures ... as all my Nikkors do.

 

The 50/1.8 Nikkor pancake has better illumination

than my 50/2.0 Nikkor. Almost no hot spot.

 

The 100/2.8 Series-E [no relation to US Savings

Bonds] is extremely light and compact and decent

optically. I seldom need a longer than normal lens

anywho, so if it weren't so tiny and weightless I'd

stick to just the 24 and the 50.

[VANGSTR]

OK, so here's another scrap,

with prolly too much detail ...

even after being ground down

by the forum software:

 

VinYd_DSC0204-Detail02.jpg

 

Kinda scary, yes ?

 

If you bag an old MF Nikkor

35/2.0 for your A7M2, then

you can be scary too ! ! !

 

 

`

This lens for me would be sold asap.  It renders like as if it was over sharpened in photoshop.

[Fotofogoso]

Zuiko 24mm 2.8. Compact. Sharp edge to edge wide open.

Zuiko 50mm 1.2. Dreamy open. Sharp.

Tokina ATX 90mm 2.5 Macro. Super sharp. What more can I say for the Bokina that hasn't been said?

[hjns]

Interesting question. Obviously, my top three vary with my needs. Below is really the collection that I keep coming back to, after trying many different legacy lenses. 

 

Landscape photography:

1. Canon FD 24mm F/2.8
2. Leica Summilux-R 50mm F/1.4
3. Leica Summicron-R 90mm F/2.0
4. Canon FD 135mm F/2.0

Portrait photography:

1. Leica Summilux-R 50mm F/1.4
2. Leica Summicron-R 90mm F/2.0
3. Canon FD 135mm F/2.0

Nightlife photography / videography:

1. Leica Summilux-R 50mm F/1.4
2. Minolta Rokkor PG 58mm F/1.2
3. Voigtlander Nokton 35mm F/1.2

 

Some examples

 

Canon 24mm

 

Summilux-R 50mm

 

Summicron-R 90mm 

 

Rokkor 58mm 1.2

[Dick Sweeney]

Cant say exactly which lenses but i have a couple of kits for motion on the A7S

 

A Zeiss Pentacon Six - Zebra set - made in the late 60's awesome - micro flare at the detail level but sharp ( not always wide open though ) - they have a really good contrast range for bright sun in Australia - stops ugly hot spots - rolls off nicely - creamy highlights ( fyi - these are medium format lenses) Pretty big and bulky and flare all over the place.

 

Ziess Contax kit - cold sharp - very germanic ! Very small - great for small motion kit.  If you stick to the 2,8 they are all the same small sizes. ie the 28, 85, aswell as the 50 1.7. Theres an awesome pancake Tessar 55 - 2.8 its tiny and very sharp stopped down one. The 135 2.8 is a sturdy stunning lens that can be picked up for very little - great value and solidly built with fine tolerances

 

I have a few funkies too

 

Post Colour

 

Jupiters

 

and Helios's

 

Have fun !

[Golem]

This lens for me would be sold asap.  It renders

like as if it was over sharpened in photoshop.

I'm pretty sure I did use the word "Scary" to

describe the rendering. Lighting there was a

mildly hazy afternoon summer sky. Middling

aperture allowed for very shake-proof shutter

speed. "Scary" is NOT for everyone ! OTOH,

I truly despise the renderings so beloved by

the Bokeh Cult, so this is MY singular fave.

 

I grew up on classic Made in Japan glass, with

it's polygon apertures and zingy contrast. Had

some German glass for roll film and sheet film,

but it just looked too "tired" on 35mm. Anywho,

back then German was the only available glass

on the best roll film gear, and rather scarce for

sheet film applications.

 

`

[glitterball]

Pentax K 28mm f3.5 - a superb landscape lens with very low distortion

Canon nFD 50mm f1.4 - a lovely, sharp general-use lens

Canon nFD 135mm f2.8 - just has a lovely look, especially for video. Not much difference between the f2.8 and f3.5 versions, and the f3.5 goes for next to nothing on Ebay.

[0phil]

I'm not so sure I'd buy them first but here's my list:

28mm PC Nikkor

50/1.4 Nikkor

70-210 Minolta "beer can"

I don't know why I have so many Nikkors. I'm a Leica shooter but Nikkors are so good and so cheap it's hard to resist.